Supplemental base for hot-water heaters



June 27, 1944. J. MINAR SUPPLEMENTAL BASE FOR HOT WATER HEATERS Filed Jan. 30, 1943 INVEJYTOR. BY John Nana? M Pfii' 47TOR/YEYS Patented June 27, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE SUPPLEMENTAL BASE FOR HOT-WATER HEATERS 3 Claims.

This invention relates to coal burning household hot water heaters variously known as scuttle-a-day" heaters, pot-belly heaters or the like and the invention is particularly directed to a supplemental base therefor which elevates the heater and serves as a housing for a removable receptacle for the ashes or other residue of the heater. Those who are familiar with heaters of this type realize the many objectionable features thereof as well as the difficulties and inconveniences encountered in firing the same, cleaning the fire and removing the ashes and other residue therefrom, this being due primarily to the fact that such heaters, which are provided with a bottomless ash pit, are designed to rest directly upon the cellar floor thereby requiring the attendant to remove the ashes, clean the fire and dump the grate from a position at or near the floor level. Furthermore, due to the fact that the boiler for storing the hot water is usually elevated so that the bottom thereof is disposed above the water chamber of the heater, it has been observed that rust, sediment and other foreign matter tends to gravitate into and collect within the water chamber of the heater thus decreasing the operating efllciency thereof as no means is provided for drawing off said foreign matter.

In order'to overcome the above noted inconveniences, difllculties and objectionable features, the present invention comprehends a supplemental supporting base upon which the heater is mounted to elevate the same so as to dispose the water chamber thereof above the level of the lower end of the hot water storage boiler to prevent any considerable quantity of rust or other foreign matter from entering said water chamber while disposing the chamber in a position which permits the draw off faucet of the boiler to drain the water chamber of the heater.

As a further feature of the invention, the sup plemental supporting base which defines a dust tight ash receptacle housing, is so constructed and arranged with reference to the heater when supported thereon as to permitgravitational feeding of the ashes or other residue of the heater into a readily removable receptacle housed in the base. while disposing the heater in an elevated more convenient and less diflicult position for firing the same, cleaning the fire or dumping the grate, in addition to avoiding the necessity of 'using a shovel for'removing the ashes.

As a still further object of the invention, the elevation of the heater by the supplemental base renders the heater more readily and economically convertible from a coal burner to an oil burner than is possible when the heater is installed directly on the floor and furthermore by virtue of said elevaton of the heater, the oil burner when installed may be removed with greater facility for the purpose of cleaning or repairing the same.

With the above enumerated and other objects in view, the invention is set forth in greater detail in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a supplemental supporting base constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating a hot water heater supported thereby and associated with a hot water storage boiler.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the supplemental supporting base and the lower portion of the heater and illustrating in broken lines the manner in which an oil burner may be installed.

Fig. 3 is a collective perspective view of the body of the base and the bearing frame in separated juxtaposition.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, A designates a coal burning hot water heater of the type which are provided with an open lower end designed to rest directly upon the cellar floor so that said floor serves as the bottom wall of the ash pit, the ashes and other residue of the heater being adapted to be removed therefrom by shoveliing the same from the floor through the lower door B of the heater, The water supplied to the adjacent hot water storage boiler C is circulated through the water chamber D of the heater A by means of an intake pipe E leading from the bottom of the boiler to the lower portion of the heater water chamber and by a return pipe F leading from the upper portion of the water chamber D to the upper portion of the boiler.

Whenthe heater A is positioned directly on the cellar floor, as has heretofore been the practice, it is apparent that the intake pipe E extends downwardly from the bottom of the boiler C which is mounted upon a support and therefore disposed above the lower portion of the heater water chamber D. Under this arrangement it is apparent that rust, sediment or other foreign matter which settles in the bottom of the boiler tends to gravitate through the intake pipe E ino the water chamber of the heater and inasmuch as the drain faucet G which is arranged in the intake pipe E is above the lower end of the heater water chamber although below the bottom of the boiler in the usual installation, the foreign matter cannot be drained from the water chamber of the heater. hence the collection of foreign matter in said chamber eventually clogs the same and greatly reduces its operating emciency.

It is also obvious that when the heater A is installed directly on the cellar uooras heretofore, the attendant is required to remove the ashes or residue, effect the cleaning of the fire and the shaking and dumping of the grate from or near the floor level.

In order to overcome these disadvantages and objections, a supplemental base is provided which is designated generally by the reference character H and the same includes a body section fashioned of any suitable material, such as sheet metal of the required gage. The body as shown includes an intermediate semi-tubular or hollow semi-cylindrical portion In and upper and lower tubular. or hollow cylindrical portions ii and I! in fixed contlnguous relation to and preferably integral with the intermediate portion. The intermediate portion of the body is preferably about fifteen inches in height so as to accommodate the average size pail which is approximately fourteen inches high and which pail is designated by the reference character J The upper portion ll of the body is approximately three inches in height and the lower portion I! about one inch high so that the overall height of the body is approximately nineteen inches although it is to be clearly understood that these dimen sions are not intended as a limitation but merely to specify the size of base which is best adapted for the purpose as determined by actual use.

The base H also includes a platform section 13 of sheet metal or an equivalent material of circular formation or a shape conforming to that of the cross sectional shape of the lower portion 12 oi. the body and of a size to snugly fit within the same. The platform I3 is disposed within said lower portion 12 of the body with the upper surface thereof flush with the upper edge of said lower portion and welded thereto as at H or otherwise secured in fixed relation to thebody preferably against an instruck marginal bead 15 formed at the juncture of the lower portion I! with the intermediate portion ID. The platform is is also supported against downward buckling by means of an inverted interiorly threaded cap l5 welded or otherwise secured in place against turning movement in a central opening in the platform and adapted to serve an additional purpose which will be hereinafter set forth.

The supplemental base H further includes a marginal or annular bearing frame I], the contour of which conforms generally to the shape of the open lower end of the heater A and which frame is provided an offset peripheral portion i8 corresponding to the offset ortion of the bottom of the heater at the ash pit door B. The bearing frame H is slightly larger in diameter than the lower end of the heater A and the upper end of the supplemental base H and is mounted upon the upper edge of the upper portion ll of the body and is retained in associated relation therewith against transverse or horizontal displacement by means of a lurality of circumferentially spaced downstruck lugs 1!. The bearing frame is formed with a medial depending frustro-conical or funnel-shaped flange 20 at the inner marginal edge thereof defining a downwardly tapering tubular rhuie uhirh is of slightly lesser height than the height of the upper portion ii of the body so as to dispose the lower end of the chute in an out-of-the-way position above the pail J.

The supplemental base H is completed by a mating semi-tubular hollow semi-cylindrical intermediate body section 2| fashioned of sheet metal or any equivalent material said section being of slightly greater size than thefixed intermediate body portion ill so that when mated therewith the marginal edges of said body section overlap the side edges of the fixed body portion,- the lower edge of the upper body portion II and the upper edge of the lower body portion l2 to form a closed housing for the receptacle J which is both dust-tight and draft-tight. Preferably, as illustrated, the movable body section 2i is swingably carried by the body of the base H-by means of hinges 22 and is retained in mated closed relation as shown in Fig. 4 by meansof a latch 23 engaged with a keeper 2.

In use, the heater A is positioned upon the bearing frame which in turn is mounted upon the upper edge of the upper portion II of the body of the supplemental base H where it is held in a stable position thereon by the pipe connections E and F secured to the boiler C. This elevates the heater and in accordance with the dimensions specified, disposes the same approximately nineteen inches above the floor level in a position where it may be more conveniently cared for by the attendant. It is also apparent that by elevating and supporting the heater in this manner-the lower open end of the same is in closed communication with the supplemental base H so that the ashes and other residue from the heater are directed by the funnelshaped chute 20 into the receptacle J which may be 'readilyremoved, emptied'and replaced by swinging the body section 2| to open position as shown in Fig. 1. thus avoiding removal of the residue by a shovel. I

By securing the inverted internally threaded cap IS in the center of the platform iii of the supplemental base H, the "heater A may be readily converted from a coal burner to an oil burner by removing the grate and mounting an oil burnerhead K on the upper end of a support L as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing, The support L may as shown in broken lines. consist of a plurality of threaded pipe sections 25'threadedly connected together by unions 2! with the lower pipe section threadedlyengaged in the cap l6. Under this arrangement, the burner head L may be readily installed or removed for cleaning or repair by disjointing the pipe sections 25 and unions 26 and lowering the burner head into the intermediate portion Ill of the base body after swinging the body section 2| to an open position. When the heater A is being used as a coal burner and the burner head and its support are removed, the cap l6 may be protectcd against the entrance of ashes thereinto by inserting a plug or disc in the same.

What is claimed is:

'1'. In a supplemental base for hot water heaters of the character set forth, a body including a fixed hollow semi-cylindrical medial portion and upper and lower hollow cylindrical portions contiguous with the upper and lower ends of the medial portion, a horizontal platform secured within and flush with the upper edge of the lower cylindrical portion of the body to provide a supporting surface for an ash receptacle adapted to be emplaced within the medial body portion and removed therefrom between the upper and lower body portions, a mating hollow semi-oylindrical medial body section displaceably associated with the fixed medial body portion and adapted when disposed in mated relation therewith to provide a closed housing for the ash receptacle, and an annular bearing frame mounted upon the upper edge of the upper body portion to support thereupon the water heater, said bearing frame having a depending funnel-shaped flange at its inner edge constituting a chute for directing the ashes and residue of the heater into the receptacle housed in the base.

2. in a supplemental base for hot water heatcrs of the character set forth, a body including upper and lower tubular end portions and an intermediate semi-tubular portion secured to the end portions in contiguous relation therewith, a horizontal platform secured within and having its upper surface disposed flush with the upper edge of the lower tubular end portion and providing a supporting surface for an ash recep tacle, a mating, semi-tubular intermediate body section displaceably associated with the intermediate semi-tubular body portion and adapted when disposed in mated relation therewith to provide a closed housing for said asah receptacle, and a bearing frame mounted upon the upper edge of said body for supporting the heater thereupon, said bearing frame having a depending funnel-shaped chute surrounding its inner marginal edge for directing the residue of the heater into said receptacle. I

3. A supplemental base for hot water heaters of the character set forth, including a hollow cylindrical body having a medial cut out portion extending approximately half-way around the same and spaced from the upper and lower ends thereof to define a wide access opening approximately onehalf the circumference of the body, a closure for said opening displacea hly associated with the body and adapted to define together therewith when in closed relation thereto a housing for an ash receptacle and an annular frame mounted upon the upper end or the body and having a depending rustle-conical chute adapted to establish closed coinmunicw tion between the housing and the lower open end of the heater when supported upon the frame so as to direct ashes into the receptacle.

J GEN MIHAR. 

